Amnesty International is part of the global movement defending human rights and dignity. We work with people in Australia
and our region to demand respect for human rights and protect people facing abuse. We campaign, conduct research and
raise money for our work. Our active members, such as school action groups, play a vital role in achieving our aims through
writing letters, sending online actions, organising creative awareness-raising activities and fundraising in their communities.

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UPDATES AND NEWS

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK JUL 2011 | SECTION 01.1

RETHINK REFUGEES
We have received hundreds of conversation cards from schools across the
country. With recent steps backward in asylum seeker and refugee policy it
is important that students continue to change the conversation. See Section
02.4 for more on this campaign.

CAMPAIGN FOR EQUALITY
Amnesty International continues to support Campaign for Equality activists
in Iran. Campaign for Equality is a grass roots movement of women and men
that work together to try and put an end to laws that discriminate against
women. They are under constant threat of arrest and imprisonment because
of this work.
We have gathered actions supporting
Campaign for Equality activists from
schools and universities across the
country. Below are some examples
of actions.

Indigenous rights and the intervention
There are 370 million Indigenous people in the world. These groups are very
diverse but there are common themes that affect Indigenous people globally,
including poverty, health and restrictions on self determination.
To address these issues the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples was adopted in 2007. It aims to create a framework for
laws in countries with Indigenous populations and to make sure that issues
are addressed by working directly with Indigenous communities.
The declaration states that Indigenous peoples have the right to:
•
•
•
•
•

DEVELOPING THE DECLARATION
The development of the declaration was led by Les Malezer, a Gubbi Gubbi
and Butchulla Man from far north Queensland, who was chair of the Global
Indigenous Caucus. The caucus consulted with Indigenous people across
the globe about the declaration. It took 20 years of meetings to ensure the
declaration reflects the diversity of Indigenous peoples.
Like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the declaration is not
legally binding. Instead governments are expected to introduce laws and
policies to make sure the obligations in the declaration are met.
When the declaration was adopted only four countries voted against it: Canada,
New Zealand, the US and Australia. However, in 2009 the Australian
Government finally made a public statement formally endorsing the declaration.
To read the declaration search online or email youth@amnesty.org.au and we
will send you a copy electronically or by snail mail.

i
Self determination is
when someone defines
their own life. The
purpose of the
Declaration on the
Rights of Indigenous
Peoples is to ensure that
Indigenous peoples
globally can actively
make decisions about
their own lives.

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AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK JUL 2011 | SECTION 02.1

WHY DO INDIGENOUS PEOPLES HAVE DIFFERENT RIGHTS
TO OTHER PEOPLE?
Indigenous people have rights that are unique to them simply because they
are the first peoples of their nation. Because there has been a lot of injustice
done to Indigenous peoples as a result of colonialism and dispossession, it is
important to have a special set of guidelines that helps correct these injustices.
THE DECLARATION AND THE NORTHERN TERRITORY INTERVENTION
The Northern Territory intervention subjects more than 45,000 people to
discrimination based on their race. The government says the intervention was
introduced to ensure the protection of women and children by restricting
alcohol, having more police in communities and quarantining people’s
welfare payments. All of this was done only to Aboriginal communities,
without any prior consultation.
We have been working with communities in the Northern Territory (NT) to
reveal how the intervention contradicts both the Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The ongoing impact of the intervention was summed up by a group of
Aboriginal elders in February 2011:
“Under the intervention we lost our rights as human beings, as Australian
citizens, as the first people of the land. We feel very deeply the threat to our
languages, our culture, and our heritage. Through harsh changes we have
had removed from us all control over our communities and our lives. Our
lands have been compulsorily taken from us. We have been left with
nothing. The legislation under which we now live does not comply with
international law. It is discriminatory. We are no longer equal to other
Australians. We are no longer equal to you.”

Article Two
Indigenous peoples are free and equal to all others
and have the right to be free from any kind of
discrimination, including discrimination based on
their indigenous origin or identity.
Article Three
Indigenous peoples have the right to self
determination. This means they can choose their
political status and develop as they want.
Article Seven
Indigenous people have the right to live in freedom,
peace and security. They must be free from
genocide and other acts of violence including the
removal of their children by force.
Article Eleven
Indigenous peoples have the right to practice and
revitalise their cultural traditions and customs.

SIGNS OF THE TIMES
An enduring symbol of the intervention is the signs that are erected on
Aboriginal land to show people that communities are subject to the intervention.
For the communities affected it feels like they are all being punished just
because they’re Aboriginal.
IMAGINE…
Waking up and there was a sign in the middle of your town or in front of your
house, telling what you can and can’t do. The sign was not put there because
of what you had done but only because of where you lived … or because of
your race.

Question: Which one of these
signs is not like the others?
1. Health clinic
This is the sign for the Urapuntja Health Clinic. The
clinic is located on fly dreaming country (Amengernternenh).
It’s a safe place for families – as you can see in the sign,
little children are considered sacred.

3

2. Diabetes feet
A health education sign on the Sandover Highway showing
how the community takes care of itself.
3. Rocket Range
The sign for the ‘suburb’ of Rocket Range on the Utopia
homelands, home of the mighty Ankowenyerra Swans
football team and five Alyawarr families. Rocket Range
overlooks the rainbow dreaming ranges.
4. Intervention sign
A Federal Government sign indicating the community is
subject to the intervention.

Answer:
the intervention sign.
Signs advertising the intervention
are very different to the other signs.
These signs strip people of their
dignity and unnecessarily hurt good
communities and families.

ACT NOW>>
MAKE YOUR OWN SIGNS
Show the people in the NT they have the support of school students by making your own
signs.
You could make a sign saying something like:
1. Take the signs down.
2. End the intervention.
3. I am a school student and I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t support the intervention.
Or something you think will work.
Send your sign (or a photo of your sign) to
Dan Scaysbrook, Youth Coordinator
Amnesty International, Locked Bag 23 Broadway NSW 2007
Or email it to youth@amnesty.org.au.
Remember to let us know that we have permission to use your images in our campaigning work.

Amnesty International at 50
Last term we told you the story of London barrister Peter Benenson, the
founder of Amnesty International. He was outraged when he heard about two
Portuguese students who had been imprisoned for drinking a toast to liberty.
He wrote an article in a London newspaper on 28 May 1961 demanding
amnesty for these students and urging people to write letters. In the 50
years since, Amnesty International has grown to a global movement of 3
million supporters across 150 countries.
On 28 May supporters gathered across the world to have candlelit dinners
and take action to defend human rights. In Australia we called the event a
‘Taste of Freedom’.
As part of our celebrations, Amnesty International is acknowledging all the
supporters who have been responsible for creating the amazing impact we
have around the world. Here are some of the activists in the Asia Pacific
region who, like you, are campaigning to ensure everyone gets their taste
of freedom.

What do you think about the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples?
I don’t know how it got made, but it says that we’re meant to have rights.
Rights to be on country. The right not to feel racism. A lot of the time,
I’m not seeing that so it’s important to protect those rights. If they’re not
protected, the result could be so devastating it can’t be fixed for 100 years.
What are your goals for the future?
I want to be a train mechanic and work ‘black on black’ with my people.
And I want to not eat too much junk food.
If you could choose, would you go to space or Spain?
Spain. I would track down Rafael Nadal. Spain it is.

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AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK JUL 2011 | SECTION 02.2

JEMMA (JEM) STOVELL
NSW COMMUNITY CAMPAIGNS INTERN
AGE: 25
Jemma got involved in Amnesty International as an intern about three
months ago. Jemma has been working with the NSW community campaigns
team on the refugee campaign, and also in schools educating students
about human rights.
Jemma has completed the Bachelor of Arts Development Studies at the
University of NSW and has discovered through her study the importance of
global human rights.
The refugee campaign is Jemma’s favourite aspect of the internship.
“I like the way you can have conversations with people around refugees and
asylum seekers,” she says. “Although sometimes it’s controversial, you can
help people understand the issues a bit better and sometimes even change
their mind.”
Jemma completed her internship in mid-June but stays involved by working
on the refugee campaign. This has included working on an art exhibition by
young Afghani women who came to Australia as refugees, which celebrates
and shares their experiences.

Get involved, get active. It’s important to
have a voice and work together to create a
better world. Amnesty International creates
a coordinated way to create change.

ALEX PAGLIARO
CAMPAIGN COORDINATOR
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
Alex Pagliaro started her involvement with Amnesty International at Loreto
College where she was head of her school action group. After studying
International Studies at Adelaide University, Alex moved to Sydney and took
a volunteer caseworker internship at Amnesty International. Volunteer
internships allow people to volunteer their time to help asylum seekers in
detention who need help processing their claims for refugee status. Alex
now leads the Rethink Refugees campaign.
“I think what I love about my job is meeting people who arrived in Australia
as asylum seekers and learning their stories,” she says. “They are all
different but each person has shown amazing courage and strength which
inspires me.”

Living in a country where you can openly
express your views and work with others to
protect human rights is something that we
shouldn’t take for granted.

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AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK JUL 2011 | SECTION 02.2

RAFFAELE PICCOLO
MEMBER, NATIONAL YOUTH ADVISORY GROUP
MEMBER, SANT BRANCH COMMITTEE
MEMBER, ADELAIDE UNIVERSITY ACTION GROUP
INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL MEETING 2011 DELEGATE
AGE: 22
Raff is currently studying a Bachelor of International Studies, Laws and a
Diploma of Languages (Italian) at the University of Adelaide. He is involved
in Amnesty International in a number of ways, including being selected to
go the International Council Meeting in the Netherlands this year as
Australia’s youth delegate.
“I have always had an interest in speaking out for those not able to do so,”
he says. “I became aware of Amnesty International while at high school,
when the plight of refugees and the Tampa crisis became regular public
news. Amnesty International was the group I most associated with helping
refugees from then on.”

“

Don’t be afraid to be challenged on your
ideas and beliefs. See it as an opportunity
to re-evaluate why you hold certain beliefs.
If you cannot convince yourself of their
importance, or substantiate your own beliefs
then it may be hard to convince others as

well. Celebrate every signature and view you
change, as it is a step in the right direction.

FAISAL AZIA
ACTIVIST, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL MALAYSIA
AGE: 23
At the age of 18 Faisal got involved with Amnesty International Malaysia
through working on prisoners of conscience issues.
He is now working on the Demand Dignity campaign. “[It] has put me in a
situation where I can really be more aware of the problems occurring in
urban areas … the problems of forced eviction, rights to housing and
education for the poor and slum kids,” he says.
One of the highlights of his involvement with Amnesty International was
when he conducted tuition with children refugees from Burma.
“It was a great experience in doing groundwork,” he says. “It gave us a
real exposure on how to actually deal with the issues. It also provided us
with some knowledge in guiding us for future groundwork projects.”

I once came across these quotes which said,
“Give to every human being every right that
you claim for yourself,” and “The only thing
necessary for the persistence of evil is for
enough good people to do nothing”. Both
quotes put a benchmark as to when a man
should make a move in making the world a
better place for everyone.

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AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK JUL 2011 | SECTION 02.2

Poster competition
coming soon!
Since long before computers or the internet, posters have been a powerful
campaigning tool for grabbing public attention in visually-impactful ways.
We have chosen 50 from our archives that highlight Amnesty International
campaigns over the last 50 years.
In term four we will be inviting students to enter a competition to design
a poster celebrating our 50th anniversary. Start thinking of ideas now!
Some of these posters are below. For more ideas and to see more posters
go to www.amnesty.org/50

ACT NOW>>
TASTE OF FREEDOM
This term we are inviting students to enjoy their
very own ‘Taste of Freedom’. Invite your friends,
teachers and classmates to hold a picnic or a
lunchtime event. Bring some food to share and
invite people to come along.
One of you could speak about why this event is
important. You could also use it as an opportunity
to take action – perhaps you could participate in an
action in this pack, like writing a letter for Liu Xiaobo.
Let us know what you are doing or send photos of
your event by emailing youth@amnesty.org.au.

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CAMPAIGNS : INFORMATION AND ACTION

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ACTION PACK JUL 2011 | SECTION 02.3

ACT NOW>>

Help free Liu Xiaobo

The anniversary of Liu Xiaobo winning the Nobel
Peace Prize is coming up on 8 October 2011.
WRITE A LETTER
You can help by writing a letter to the Chinese
authorities calling for Liu Xiaobo’s release. Please
make your letter polite and respectful.

University academic Dr Liu Xiaobo won the Nobel Peace Prize on 8 October
2010 for his human rights work in China. However, he was unable to attend
the ceremony and accept this honour as he is currently serving 11 years in
prison, simply for exercising his right to freedom of expression.

Address your letter to
Wen Jiabao
Premier of the People’s Republic of China.

Liu Xiaobo has a long history with pro-democracy movements. In 1989 he
joined others to hunger strike in Tiananmen Square and following his arrest was
held in prison until 1991. He has since published several articles questioning
the Chinese Government’s conduct in Tiananmen Square. Because of this he
was placed under house arrest in 1995, then sentenced to three years in a
‘re-education through labour’ camp.

Your letter can include points such as:
• You would like Chinese authorities to release
Liu Xiaobo immediately and unconditionally.
•

You would like them to lift surveillance and all
restrictions on Liu Xia’s freedom of movement,
freedom of expression and association.

On 9 December 2008, Liu Xiaobo co-authored a proposal for legal and political
reform in China called Charter 08. More than 10,000 people added their
names to the Charter after its release. On 25 December 2009, he was
sentenced to 11 years in prison for “inciting subversion of state power”
because of Charter 08 and other articles he had published.

•

Why you feel it is important for the authorities
to release Liu Xiaobo and Liu Xia.

On top of this, Liu Xiaobo’s wife Liu Xia, a poet and artist, is under illegal
house arrest in Beijing and has very limited contact with the outside world
Amnesty International continues to campaign for Liu Xiaobo’s and Liu Xia’s
release. They are two of thousands of individuals at risk, imprisoned or facing
intimidation and violence solely for peacefully expressing their beliefs or for
defending the rights of other people.

WRITE A POEM FOR LIU XIA
While Liu Xia cannot receive visitors, she can receive
mail. As she is a poet, we would like to send her
poems, so she knows that we are thinking about
her and working for her and Liu Xiaobo’s release.
Your poem could be about her situation, her
husband winning the Nobel Peace Prize or about
the hundreds of people around the world working
for their release. You are welcome to include a
picture with your poem if you feel inspired.
Please send your poems and letters to
Liu Xiaobo and Liu Xia
c/- Youth Coordinator
Amnesty International Australia
Locked Bag 23
Broadway NSW 2007
We will collect your letters and poems and send
them on.

i
Liu Xiaobo is being held in Jinzhou
Prison, in Liaoning province, northeast China. On completion of his
sentence, he will also be deprived
of political rights for two years.

There is lots of discussion held in the media about
refugees and asylum seekers who arrive by boat. It
is now time for school students to have their say.
Read the story of Rajeed over the page, a teenage
boy who represents the typical asylum seeker
coming to Australia by boat from Afghanistan.

So far we have received hundreds of conversation cards from you and other
students just like you – thank you! We are in the process of sending them to
asylum seekers and refugees in detention and will report back on responses
in the next term’s school action pack.
There have been lots of developments in refugee policy since we received
those cards.

Think of a creative way you can tell his story. You
might want to host a speak-out at your school or
even create a play about this story. Or you could
make a map of Rajeed’s journey using pictures
to illustrate the things that happen to him along
the way.

THE MALAYSIA DEAL

Let us know what you are up to by emailing
youth@amnesty.org.au

Over the last few months we have featured in many news bulletins about our
opposition to the Australian Government’s decision to exchange 800 asylum
seekers who arrive by boat with 4,000 refugees currently in Malaysia.
We joined many other organisations in calling on the government to reverse
this policy. While we welcome the decision to accept more refugees, we hold
grave fears for the people sent to Malaysia as part of this deal.
Malaysia is not a signatory to the Refugee Convention. It also has not signed
the Convention against Torture. This means that asylum seekers sent to
Malaysia could face inhumane detention conditions and torture.
Under Malaysian law there is no legal recognition or protection of refugees,
so it is unlikely that asylum seekers sent there will have access to adequate
healthcare, schooling or employment opportunities. If they do work they face
arrest and potential imprisonment.
At the time of writing, the full details of this deal were not clear but it’s
important to remember that it is not illegal to seek asylum in Australia by boat.
Does it seem fair to punish people for doing something that is not illegal?

i
It is important that students continue
to change the conversation about
asylum seekers. It’s only when we have
challenged the myths and misconceptions
about those who arrive by boat that we
can expect decent policy for refugees
within our community.

GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM
During World Refugee Week in June SBS screened
a unique documentary series called Go Back To
Where You Came From. This television program
followed six ordinary Australians for one month as
they lived as refugees and asylum seekers, tracing
in reverse the steps that modern-day refugees and
asylum seekers take to reach Australia.
Amnesty International, SBS and the Refugee
Council of Australia have teamed up to produce an
educational resource that aims to get students
thinking about those who seek asylum. This
resource is available from Amnesty International.
Get a copy for your school by emailing
youth@amnesty.org.au.

School Action Pack July 2011 to September 2011

Amnesty International Australia's action pack for school groups. This edition focuses on Indigenous rights and the intervention, our 50 years celebration, help free Nobel prize winner Liu Xiaobo and Rethink refugees.